Retail sales drop for fifth month in a row October 22, 2021 UK retail sales dropped in September for the fifth consecutive month but have bounced back from the pandemic, It marked the longest continuous stretch since records began in 1996, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes dropped by 0.2 per cent last month, following a 0.6 per cent [...]
Cascade of ‘cheerless’ economic news weighs on consumer confidence October 22, 2021 A cascade of “cheerless” news about the health of the UK economy has caused consumer confidence to plummet. Severe petrol and food shortages, compounded by soaring energy costs and wider inflationary pressures has engineered a cost of living crisis in the UK and stalled the economic recovery. As a result, consumer confidence slid to minus [...]
Close to 4m low-income households across UK are in arrears with household bills October 21, 2021 Nearly 4m British households on low incomes are estimated to be in arrears with household bills, according to new figures published this morning. Around 950,000 are thought to be in rent arrears, 1.4m are behind on council tax bills and 1.4m are behind on electricity and gas bills, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said. It looked [...]
Sunak’s budget must navigate the Catch-22 of inflation and recovery October 21, 2021 There have been some pretty bleak backdrops to budget announcements over the years. In March 2008, Alistair Darling faced the daunting task of delivering a budget while the world was in the teeth of the financial crisis. Denis Healy’s April 1979 budget was surely the worst, after the government lost a vote of confidence. The [...]
Sunak reportedly mulls cutting VAT on household energy bills to ease cost of living October 18, 2021 Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering cutting the 5 per cent rate of VAT on energy bills in a bid to cut living expenses for families this winter. Potential cuts in VAT to energy bills were touted by Vote Leave campaigners as a “Brexit dividend”, as EU rules stop countries from changing the rate, with some [...]
Carney backs government support for energy users during gas price crisis October 12, 2021 Mark Carney believes the UK government should support energy users hit by rapidly rising energy costs. With gas prices soaring to record levels, the former governor of the Bank of England appeared to lend his support to the Prime Minister’s upcoming bail-out plans for businesses. The government is set to provide state loans to struggling [...]
Wednesday’s GDP figures will remind Brits of sunnier economic times October 12, 2021 The economic mood at the moment is not upbeat. Households are facing an acute cost of living crisis, businesses are warning of shortages at Christmas, inflation is likely to run hotter and for longer than the Bank of England initially expected. Doom and gloom. However, on Wednesday, positivity will be partly revived as the Office [...]
Looming cost of living crisis pinches Brits’ confidence in finances October 12, 2021 The spectre of inflation is acutely impacing Brits’ confidence in the health of their finances. Nine in 10 households are worried about their finances, found research by Barclaycard. Brits across the country are facing a severe cost of living crisis caused by soaring energy prices, wider inflation and looming tax hikes, which is weighing down [...]
Consumer confidence slips to pre-Covid levels as shoppers see supplies squeezed October 10, 2021 Consumer confidence has dipped to its lowest level this year, as inflation, the energy crisis and HGV driver shortages take their toll on the outlook to Christmas, according to a new report by PwC. Following record highs earlier in the year, consumer confidence saw a decline in almost every age, region and demographic category, and [...]
Energy crisis: Kwasi Kwarteng rows with Treasury over heavy industry bailout talks October 10, 2021 Kwasi Kwarteng has been slapped down by the Treasury over emergency funding for struggling industrial firms, with the business and energy secretary accused of “making things up”. Kwarteng said he was speaking with the Treasury about a solution to help struggling manufacturers that are on the brink, however the Treasury has anonymously briefed to Sky [...]